Second Chance
by Aoi Natsu
Summary: Light is defeated and is killed by Ryuk. Once he is dead, he is visited by a demon that sends his back in time to the beginning of the Kira investigation. Now he has to prove himself innocent to L, and in doing so realizes that he might desire more than just a friendship with the great detective. LightxL


Light could feel himself getting weak. He knew he didn't have much longer before he, too, succumbed to the power of the Death Note.

He exhaled slowly, knowing it was likely to he his last breath. As he closed his eyes he could have sworn he saw L standing a few feet in front of him.

How funny, he thought, that L's ghost chose then to finally visit him.

...

It was cold, wherever Light was, that's all that he was certain of. He knew he must have died, what else could have happened?

He struggled to open his eyes and was met with darkness. He blinked a few times and saw the unearthly realm around him.

It was dark, and grey and empty. The world lacked color and life and was filled with dust. Light sat up, realizing he was laying in a mound of grey dirt. The desolate land around him shook and rumbled as he pulled himself up.

This had to be the Shinigami Realm, he thought to himself as he began to wander. Then that means that the others who used the notebook would have to be there, as well. He tried to survey his surroundings to see if there was anyone with him. No one was around, and there was no sign of shinigami anywhere.

He wondered if maybe this desolate landscape was the Mu that the Death Note spoke of, a place that was neither heaven nor hell. Nothingness.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sudden and vivid flash of red. He whipped around to see where the bright color had come from.

He saw a woman standing before him. But he could tell that if she ever was human, she certainly wasn't any longer. Her skin was a ghostly white, and the only color she wore was red, which seemed to pulsate from her very being. She had long, grey horns that framed her face, and her hair, lips, and eyes were also a vivid shade of crimson.

"You don't have much time, human." She said. Her voice was strong and confident, and made Light wonder just who the hell she was. "You have a decision to make."

"Who are you?" Light asked. "Are you a shinigami."

The demon scowled at him. "I'm not one of those lowly death gods. I am one of the higher beings of Mu. You can call me Scarlet."

"Mu..." Light began. "That's actually a place? I thought it just meant that there was no afterlife for humans who used the Death Note."

"No, Mu is a place," she said, starting to pace around. "The shinigami world and the human world... they are so insignificant compared to mine."

She waited a moment for her words to sink in before continuing. "I've heard about you, Yagami Light. I know that you tried to become a god by killing with the Death Note. And I have to wonder, do you feel regret?" She asked, turning her head to the side.

"Regret..." Light said, looking down. "If there was one thing I do regret, it was becoming Kira in the first place."

"Really?" She said, genuinely curious now.

"Yes," Light furrowed his brows. "The Death Note ruined my life. I always knew that in the back of my mind that what I was doing was wrong. There is no way to be Kira and not kill the innocent. But it was too late to stop, and I was already too far gone."

"Gone?" She asked, grinning.

"My mental state was deteriorating, and even though I was aware of what was happening, I knew I couldn't go back."

Scarlet began to pace again, this time circling Light as she walked. "Then how would you like to go back? Back far enough to change things?"

"What do you mean by 'back far enough'? Light asked, starting to feel uneasy.

"Not so far that you would have to live your life over again. But not too soon, either. I suspect there are some people you would like to still be alive?"

Light immediately thought of L, his one rival and equal. "Yeah, there are."

"So that settles it!" Quickly, she grabbed his hand and with another flash of red, they were gone.

As sudden as the action was, it left Light with hardly enough time to get his bearings as he felt himself being transported to back to his world.

...

He was in his bed, back in his old bedroom where he lived with his parents. It was morning, and the sun was just beginning to rise.

"Hey Light..." He heard the gravelly voice of the very being that killed him. "So you got sent back in time, huh?"

Light was startled by what the god of death had just said. "Wait, you remember everything?" he said urgently.

"Well, yeah." Ryuk said, surprised by Light's intensity. "Us Shinigami are immune to the changes in time. Whenever a human is sent back to get a second chance, it's just the human world that changes."

"So I'm the only one who remembers..." Light said thoughtfully.

"Light! It's garbage day!" He heard his mom call out, and was snapped back to reality.

_The surveillance cameras were in his house._

_..._

"That was quite strange. Does your son usually talk to himself like that?" L mused, taking a sip of tea.

"N-No..." Soichiro answered, tired from staying up all night and confused by his son's behavior.

"The things he said, though. He's obviously not just thinking aloud." L furrowed his brows, not knowing what to think of this new development.

...

A/N: So here's my new fanfiction! It's altered a lot from where I was originally going, but I think that I like this direction better. I'll still be writing Sleepless Nights and Mandatory Aid uwu

And also, RIP Light Yagami :(


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